Bahrain GP: Force India preview

8 March 2010 - 2010 marks the third year of competition in the FIA
Formula One World Championship for the Force India F1 Team. After a
positive finish to 2009, the team is hoping this season will be the one
that firmly establishes it as a strong,...

8 March 2010 - 2010 marks the third year of competition in the FIA
Formula One World Championship for the Force India F1 Team. After a
positive finish to 2009, the team is hoping this season will be the one
that firmly establishes it as a strong, competitive outfit regularly
challenging for points and podiums whenever possible.

Consistency has been the key this year: Adrian Sutil and Tonio Liuzzi are
retained as drivers and the team's technical package is an evolution of
last year's increasingly competitive car. Paul di Resta, from Scotland,
strengthens the driver line-up as test and reserve driver. Paul will
participate in some free practice sessions this year, although not
Bahrain as the race drivers will need to learn the new track
configuration.

Over winter testing the team fared well, completing 12 days of testing
and more than 4,000km and is now looking forward to the season-opening
Bahrain Grand Prix.

Team Q&A

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal
What are your thoughts ahead of what could be a crucial season for Force
India?

We finished 2009 on a real high note - our first-ever points, a podium
and one place up in the constructors' championship. That is enough in
itself to set the bar much higher this season, but we're really
determined to take it to the next level. Regular points and the odd
podium have got to be the aim and we know it is possible. I have a lot of
faith in the drivers and the technical staff, I think we've got into a
very good rhythm together now.

Have you been encouraged by the performance over the winter?

I have been very encouraged by the entire performance, both at the track
and at the factory. The testing times gave very positive headlines, but
it is very difficult to know where we are until we get to Bahrain.
Certainly however the initial reports from the drivers are encouraging
and when that happens it's worth another three to four tenths - if they
feel happy and confident in the car then that they can really attack.

What is it that has made the difference this year for Force India?

The key point was that last year we had a good baseline car and we
improved throughout the year in a very structured manner. In the second
part of the season we were very successful - at times we even had a
potential winning car - and with that in mind we went into the winter and
developed this foundation as much as possible. That stability is crucial
and we have been able to focus 100% on emphasising the strong points
while addressing the weaker areas. I think Mark [Smith] and his team have
done an excellent job.

Driver Q&A

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03)

Adrian, you've now finished the VJM03's winter testing programme - how
did this go?

The baseline car we have now after 12 days of testing looks very good and
promising. The changes we have made during the winter have all had a
positive effect. Testing went well and although there was a lot of rain
over the period, the last two days in Barcelona were OK. We did our long
runs and a lot of work with the tyres so we are fully prepared. We are
pretty confident that our car is good enough to be in the top ten in
Bahrain.

From the testing, it is possible to see how the competition is faring?

You can see a little bit, but you can't be 100% sure as you never know
what the other teams are doing with their programme. That said, you can
tell that some of the big teams like McLaren and Ferrari look very strong
on both the long runs and qualifying runs and are always on the top of
the timesheets. I am expecting them to be on the top again in the race
weekend but we are not far away and that's a really good sign.

One new addition to the team is a new team-mate for you in the form of
Paul di Resta. You've raced against him before?

Yes, it was a long time ago, but in F3 in 2005 we raced against each
other. I think he is a very good driver and it's great to have him on
board in the team as he can help develop the car with us. He will do some
Friday sessions too so will get some experience, it's a good opportunity
for everyone.

Looking forward to Bahrain, what would be a good result for you?

Hopefully in the top ten and I think that should be possible. I would
hope we could score a few points. For everything else, it is very
difficult to say what else will happen, but I am fine with any position
within the top 10 - that's my goal for the moment.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01)

You covered a lot of kilometres in pre-season testing. How did that go
for you?

I had five and a half days in the car and I learnt a lot of things about
the car over this time. We had several test items to get to the optimum
level for the start of the season and generally every item we tested had
a positive effect. The car responds very well to any change, it's
definitely going in the right direction. For sure the weather didn't
help, but fortunately the car showed formidable reliability and
performance, so in my mind there is a really strong preparation for
Bahrain and the rest of the season.

How would you judge this car compared to the other cars you have driven
in your career?

In my five years of F1 this is definitely the best car I've driven, It's
the most balanced, and knowing that has made me feel so much stronger and
confident. Of course you can never know exactly where you are compared to
the others but we can go to Bahrain feeling optimistic and positive.

And Bahrain has a new track lay-out. Have you had a chance to look at
this?

I've had a look on Google earth and on the simulator. I think they have
just made it much longer and slower and I'm not a big fan of this type of
track as I love high speed corners and circuits. I don't think there will
be any more overtaking opportunities as the track goes through too tight
an area. But it's the same for everybody and we need to get used it.
We'll see when we walk the track on Thursday.

What are your aims for this race?

For the first race we want to show that our winter work has paid off.
Points are our target for the time being and getting into the top ten, as
high as possible. Being realistic, a few points should be feasible and
hopefully everything goes as well as in testing with good reliability for
the first race.

Paul di Resta, test and reserve driver

Paul, it must have been a bit of a whirlwind since February when you were
announced as the test and reserve driver. What have you been doing since
then?

It's certainly been busy! I've been in Spain during all the F1 tests and
it's been quite a hectic schedule with three tests in three weeks. I've
also spent some time at the factory, getting to know the team and the
engineers and generally settling in. I had two half days in the car in
quite difficult rainy conditions, which was not ideal, but I did at least
learn about what to expect when it does rain and how to find that level
when you need to change tyres: hopefully it's something I will have to
deal with later in my career. But it's nice to get a feeling for the car
going into the season, the strong points and how we deal with weaker
spots. Any experience for me at the moment is valuable.

You've also been testing the DTM cars as well, sometimes switching
literally overnight. How has that been going - has it given you a taster
of how things will go this year when you are swapping F1 for DTM?

F1 and DTM are quite different to each other but so far I have done a
switch from F1 to DTM and then one back again. The last time I didn't
even notice it had happened, so already I am learning how to deal with
it. Both cars require a different mindset but I am sure I will be able to
do it with more experience without really having to think about it.

What are your feelings heading into Bahrain?

For sure I am very excited. It's a great thrill to be going there as part
of an F1 team. Although I'm not going to be driving during free practice,
Bahrain is a great track, I've raced there before in F3, and I can't wait
to get on the plane and head off for the first weekend. I'm realistic
there are lots of challenges ahead of us and only in Bahrain will we
really know where car is on the field, but everyone is very excited to
see this. I can't wait.